The Work Quotes

“Service simply means we embrace the possibility of living for more than ourselves.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“People tend to confuse determination and positive attitude with false optimism or naiveté.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and it’s the rare person who can walk away from what feels like a sure thing.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“One thing I began to realize in my travels was that everyone I met who was truly successful—whether in business, in philanthropic work, in human rights, in government, or in raising a family—shared one common trait: they were fanatically passionate about the work they did.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“don’t do things because they are easy. Nothing done with that motivation is worth doing. There are rare times in our lives when we find ourselves doing things because they need to be done—and something in us calls out to do it”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“These people hadn’t just lost a job; they’d lost an identity. They’d spent countless hours demonstrating loyalty to the business, knowing, of course, that they were only as valuable as their last deal. But this is the trick that a job can sometimes play on us: we know we’re working at the pleasure of a manager, an owner, a corporation, but we’re human and can’t help but develop emotional attachments to the work we do. We begin to identify ourselves with our employers and believe that a business can return our loyalty. Sometimes businesses do. But when it comes down to it, a corporation’s first allegiance is to its own survival. Everyone benefits from the idea that we’re all in it together—until suddenly we’re not.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Heroism is simply the idea of living your life with the passion that it deserves.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“search it out. I also try to remind myself that while there is always a big-picture ambition or goal on the horizon, it’s important to savor the little moments—the ones that will never come my way again.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“I want to live an interesting life.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“try to remember that these are all roles I have chosen—not out of obligation or out of fear, but out of purpose, out of passion, and out of love.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“ourselves. That’s a sign that we may have found the work of our lives. We will accomplish this mission. And not because someone gave me permission, but because I finally gave myself permission.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Maybe the question isn’t “What do I want to do with my life?” but “Who do I want to be? What contribution do I want to make?” It’s not even all about altruism. It’s also about living the life that keeps you interested and engaged and passionate—and that leaves you feeling fulfilled. When”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“But I pushed myself to tell it all as honestly as possible; to use a cliché, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“when we reach our hands across the globe to serve others, we don’t return empty-handed. There is always an exchange. I learned that from Abdullah. And I would learn it again during my fellowship.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“What need can I best help address?”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“My father had been my Moses, bringing me to life. Then my grandfather became my Joshua, carrying me through my childhood and teen years into adulthood.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“After my time working for the government as a soldier, I reacquainted myself with the possibilities of government as a force for good beyond its awesome capacity as a force in war and security.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“I gave him my full American pitch: about how America was a large experiment, and with every generation we struggle to expand and live up to our greatest ideals, to be greater in the future than we were in the past. I told him I fought for my country because I love it, flaws and all. I fought for it because the people who make up our beautiful, diverse tapestry deserve to be fought for. I fought for it so that this experiment can continue, so that we have a chance to become the country that my grandparents dreamed of and that my grandchildren deserve.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Our adult lives begin with a first moment of stillness. We leave school and there’s no next grade to go to, no one to tell us how to spend our time—we are faced with an intimidating absence of inevitable next steps. Possibilities and choices suddenly abound. And for a lot of us it’s terrifying.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“reciprocal: you can go into a project thinking that you are in some way helping others, but of course you end up helping yourself, if only by being reminded that every day people in all kinds of”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Kids need to think that you care before they care what you think.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Reading is Fundamental LOCATION National ABOUT Reading is Fundamental motivates young children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. NAME Renewal Funds LOCATION Vancouver, Canada ABOUT”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“catharsis—a”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“I’m not a warmonger—like many who have worn the uniform, I am particularly averse to war. I’m also not someone who believes in empire building or imperialistic or paternalistic attitudes about the world outside of America. But our passion, influence, and responsibility as humans can never end at our borders.”
― Wes Moore, The Work

“Abdullah explained to me the man had not understood the significance of the image on the flag, so Abdullah told him it was a picture of Afghanistan—a picture of his country. At that, the man had shrugged and walked away. That’s when I started to understand that our goal of establishing loyalty to a national government was possibly in trouble.”
― Wes Moore, The Work